Athlete&#39;s protective harness



Sept. 25, 192 8. 1,685,452

H. GOLDSMITH ATHLETE S PROTECTIVE HARNESS Filed 001:. 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE Y.

Sept. 25, 1928. I 1,685,452

H. GOLDSMITH ATHLETE S PROTECTIVE HARNESS Filed 001;. 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept; 25, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGO GOLDSMITH, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE P. GOLDSMITH SONS COMPANY, 01 CINCINNATI, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ATHLETES PROTECTIVE HARNESS.

Application filed October 5, 1927. Serial No. 224,238.

My invention relates to athletic harness, and particularly to harness for protecting the lower portion of a football players body.

It is the object of my invention to provide an adjustable waist enclosing garment which will have protecting and guarding devices so arranged therein as to protect the kidneys, thigh bones and the base of the spine. It is further my object to provide football trou- 1 sers having a detachable and adjustable connection with the corset-like garment through which connection the trousers are supported.

. A further object is the arrangement of the guards within the corset-like garment in such manner that there will be a readily flexible line at the waist band which will avoid hamporing the player either while running or when in a crouching posit-ion.

It is another of my objects to provide a waist enclosing band and a pair of trousers with a connection between them so that the waist bandwill prevent the trousers working down and the trousers will prevent the waist band working up. I further have as my ohj ect the provision of connecting devices which will permit the band to be worn either under or outside of the jersey, with band and trousers connected to ether.

The above an other objects to which reference will be made during the ensuing disclosure I accomplish by that certain arrangement and combination of parts of which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings 1- Fi re 1 is a front elevation of the adjustable idney, spine and thigh bone protector, viewed from the outside thereof.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the protector illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the protector shown in Figure 1 taken along the lines 33 in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure e is a perspective view of. a kidney protecting guard removed from the waist enclosing band.

Figure 5 is a section of the guard shown in Figure 4 taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the trousers.

muscle guard taken along the lines 8-8 in Figure 9.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a front leg muscle guard removed from the pocket in the .trousers.

Figure 10 is a fragmental interior view of the trousers.

Figure 11 is a section view of a curved plate for protecting the side of the legs taken along the lines-1111 in Figure 12.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the curved platewhich protect-s the side of the leg, removed from the pocket in the trousers.

Referring first to the adjustable waist enclosing band which carries the guards for the kidneys, spineand thigh bones, I have shown a vest or corset-like garment, which is adjustable about the body by means of lacing members 1, which may be mounted in eyelets 2 in the bands 3. The garment has cover pieces 4, stitched at their edges, and extending throughout the extent of the garment I prefer to mount a sheet of foam rubber 5. For protecting the wearers kidneys I have stitched within the garment molded fibre plates 6 bound at their edges with felt tape 7. The stitches which I use to secure the kidney guards within the garment preferably pass through from one side to the other. In Figure 3 I have shown stitches 8 which pass successively through the back covering, through the rubber sheeting, through the molded fibre and finally through the front covering. For protecting the hip bones I have provided two molded fibre guard plates 9 which areseoured within the garment in a manner similar to that in which the kidney guards are secured. At the back there is an upper spine guard 10 and alower guard plate 11 also secured within the body of the garment. It is a feature of the protector which has just been described that at the waist line in the zone indicated at 12 in Figure 3 that the garment is freely flexible and will stick close to the body whether the player is crouching or running.

The football trousers generally indicated the at 13 have front lacing members 14 and belt straps which may be used to assist in supporting the garment. In order to provide light and airy trousers I have found that a series of circular ventilating openings 15 may be formed in the crotch of the trousers which add materially to the ease and comfort with which the garment may be worn by a football player. For protecting the front of the legs I have provided cloth pockets 16 in which muscle guards may be inserted. The preferred type of guard has'a stifl piece of contoured fibre 17. Within the concavity of the molded piece, there is stitched a band or strip 18 of flexible material which absorbs the shock of a blow on ard and evenly distributes it.

At the knee I have formed pockets 19 and pieces of foam rubber 20 are secured within the pockets by suitable stitching. As the foam rubber is very easily torn I have found 'that the most satisfactory method of securing a foam rubber pad in a pocket is to lay a piece of cloth tape on both faces'of the foam rubber pad and then extend stitches through both layers of tape and the pad. The tape can then be stitched or tied within the pocket and the danger of tearing the rubber pad is thus averted.

Further molded guards such as are indicated at 21 may be disposed in pockets 22. The trousers are provided with flexible straps 23 which are sewed to the inner side of the garment adjacent the outside seam of the trouser legs. These straps provide an adjustable means of partially supporting the trousers from the waist enclosing band. The waist band is shown with buckles 24 stitched to the bands above the flexible waist line portion. Just as in feminine garments a connection between the stocking and the cor set may be used both to keep up the stockings and to keep down the corset, so in the buckle and strap connection between the trousers and the waist enclosing band means are provided to serve a double function in keeping the waist band down and the trousers up. B

extending a strap 23 through one of the buckle loops and then turnin the end down through the other loop, a rea ily adjustable support 1 by the trousers with the band underneath the jersey. If the attachment of the band to the trousers was at the waist line it would be impossible to wear the band under the jersey as tucking in the jersey.

the attaching devices would interfere with I The straps are preferably adjustable, but in some cases I may provide extensions from the waist band to points well below the Waist line of the trousers.

It will be apparent that modifications over the specific structure shown will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the principle involved in my invention, which is primarily the provision of a waist enclosing band carrying guards with a connection to the pants which will permit a player to wear his jersey either on the outside or inside of the band. e

The waist enclosing band, as will be apparent, may be worn either outside the jersey or inside of it. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Football protective harness comprising the combination of a waist enclosing protective garment, and a pair of trousers, with interconnecting means between said garment and said trousers, said means connected to the trousers well below the waist line so that clearance will be provided which will permit a jersey to be worn either next to the body or between said garment and said trousers.

2. Football protective harness comprising the combination of a waist enclosing protective garment, and a pair of trousers, with interconnecting means betweensaid garment.

and said trousers, said means connected to the trousers well below the waist line, so that clearance will be provided which will permit a. jersey to be worn either next to the body or between said garment and said trousers, said interconnecting means being adjustable.

3. Football protective harness comprising the combination of a waist enclosing garment, and a pair of trousers having means for the adjustable attachment thereof to said waist enclosing band, said means providing clearance for a jersey to permit the jersey to be tucked into the trousers with the adjustable attachment underneath the tucked in portion of the jersey, and said means comprising flexible bands, said waist band having means for the adjustable attachment thereto of said bands.

4. Football protective harness comprising the combination of a waist enclosing garment having guard members carried therein, and a pair of trousers having means for the adjustable attachment thereof to said waist enclosing band, said means providing clearance for a jersey to permit the jersey to be tucked into the trousers with the adjustable attachment underneath the tucked in portion of the jersey, and said means comprising straps, said waistband having buckles for retaining said straps.

5. Football protective harness comprising the combination of a waist enclosing garment having stifi guard members carried therein, a pair of trousers, and means forattaching the trousers to said waist enclosing band, said means comprising straps attached to said trousers well below the waist band, and said Waist enclosing garment having fastening means for the retention of said straps.

6. Football protective harness comprising an adjustable waist enclosing band, and a pair of trousers, said band having kidney 1 protecting guard plates, and being flexible at the waist line, and said trousers having means extending from below the waist line thereof for the adjustable attachment of said trousers to said band above the flexible waist 15 line thereof.

HUGO GOLDSMITH. 

